Camp Sunny Patch Session 3: Splish Splash Boom

Camp Sunny Patch Session 3 is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by Camp Counselor Stacy Teet.

It’s hard to believe we are already in to our third week of Camp Sunny Patch! This week also marks the first day of summer and what better way to celebrate then by spending time together, outdoors, having fun.

You’ll notice a common theme in all the games we’re playing today . . . water! This first game is Fish, Fish, Shark–an updated version of Duck Duck Goose. By adding a few buckets, some squirt toys and squishy balls we’ve put a whole new twist on this childhood favorite.

Have your campers gather in a circle and let the “It” person choose a few toys that can hold water. A squirt toy for Fish, and a squishy ball for Shark. The “It” person will circle around saying, “Fish” as she squirts each player on the head. When she’s ready, she will swap the squirt toy for a squishy ball (these dispense more water) and squish the toy over a players head declaring SHARK!

The shark will jump up with a water toy of their own and chase the “It” person until they get a good squirt. The shark will become the “It” person next and the game continues until everyone has had a turn.

This next game will really get your kids moving! (They will probably be hot and thirsty afterwards so you might want to plan this one around lunch or snack time.)

You’ll need 2 buckets, one filled with water and as many water absorbing toys as you can find. Place the buckets a nice distance from each other and have players soak their toys and run to the other bucket holding their water toys above their heads. When they get to the other bucket, they will squeeze the water into the bucket and run back and forth as many times as it takes to fill the bucket.

When the players fill the new bucket and empty the old one, reward them by soaking them with the water in the bucket–by this time, they will thank you for it. Splash!

Our last camp game this week is an old favorite of this counselor: water ball!

You’ll need an arsenal of water balloons or some squishy balls and a bucket to play. (Younger batters will do better with squishy balls, and the output of water seems best on those anyway.)

You’ll need a pitcher and a batter. Every direct hit is counted as a home run (Boom!)–the batter will run the bases, then slide in to home. (If you really want to make things fun, you can use large buckets and kiddie pools as bases to jump in and a slip ‘n’ slide from 3rd to home plate. )

These are awesome ideas, and super photos! We have an older boy who comes over to “mentor” (he likes that word better than “babysit”) my son while I catch up on housework and research for my book. I am going to incorporate these into our gameplan. We might even make photos and add the cool graphics. Thanks, Stacy!